Garage



March 15, 1932. c. F. DAVIS 1,849,348

GARAGE Filed Oct. 24, 1928 3 Sheets-SheQt 1 C. F. DAVIS March 15, 1932.

GARAGE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 24, 1928 6 ar{ I 1? fi Vi Patented Mar. 15 1932 UNITED mm 1;. Dav s, orcn'rcnoo, rumors Gannon Application filed. October 24, 1928. Serial 1Vo.814:,l568.

This invention relates to a vehiclegarage,

and more particularly to an underground or concealed garage, havinga remote controlled platform or table which is vertically adjustable within a sunken. pit and supports a camouflaged roof, which is adapted to be dis- It is an object of this 11117911131011 to. provide.

a garagebelow the level of the ground, acces sible by means of a manholewhennecessary, and having a vertically moving auto mobile supporting table or platform, sup porting a roofcarrying asodded covering; to close and camouflage the opening for, the m garage when the table is-in its lowered position.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a sub-garage, having. aremote, electrically controlled automobile supporting 2:; platform mounted therein,- adapted, to be raised to the surface to permit anautomobileto. be driven thereon or removed therefrom,

and furthermore adaptedto; be lowered so that a sodded. roof sectionwill serve as a. ca

' tion to provide a sunken pit withina garden or lawn of a home, said pit-adapted to be,

entered by means of a manhole or the like, in

cases of emergency, said pit furthermorecontaining a vertically movable automobile supporting table, operable, by means of a remote is contro and carrying a roofsecti'on, the top of which is covered sod or. flowerbeds, so that, when the table islowered, there will be no exterior evidence of the arage, 1 It is an important [object 0 this inven- .tion to provide a remote controlled automoj bile storage platform, operable within a sunken pit and having a camouflaged ro off or closing the pit when the garage isclosed, thereby aiiording, an arrangement in, which there is no manifestation of a garage: on-the 55 prem ses.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from thezdiss closures in the specification and the accom-v panying drawings. e 7

This invention (in a preferred form) is iI- lustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described. b Y

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal.vertical section taken through a garage embodying-the principles of this invention. with parts shown. in elevation. i

Figure 2is a. transverse verticalseotion of the garage taken on lines II-JI of Figure 1, with parts shown inv elevation, andhaving the operation indicated in dotted lines, show ing the garage in open position.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectionn-ofth'e rage taken on line IIL-III of Figure 1.

As shown on the drawings: I t s I Thereferencenumeral'l indicates awcon; crete garage'housing, provided with a con. crete floor 2, and having. a concrete extension I chamber 3.formed at one end thereof. The '80 extension chamber 3 is of substantiall half the height of the garage .housingl an is. accessible by means of a concrete shaft. or tube I 4, the upper end of which is flush with the ground and is closed by means of a manhole. cover 5 or the like. Mounted within the manhole tube 4; is aladder 6, permitting a person to climb down into the extension chamber 3; of the garage housing.

' Disposed intwo COFILGISOfblTlB garage housv ing 1 are a pair of drain pipes 7, the lower ends. of which project into theground. below the garage floor 2,. while the upperv ends. com: municate with drain troughs 8.1nounted in a pair oflongitudinal: grooves provided in the upper ends. ofthe side walls. of the gas rage housing. Mounted on the floor 2 of the garage housin'g, within the storage chamber formed by the housing 1,. is a driving or operating motor 9 having a shaft 10 on which a driving worm 11 is mounted, to mesh with a worm wheel 12 integrally formed on the exterior of a rotatable sleeve 13. The rotatable sleeve 13 is ournalled within-a bearing housing 14 secured to the floor 2 of the garage housing. The lower end of the rotatable sleeve 18 is supported on a roller bearing 15. The motor 9 is adapted to be controlled by a remote controlled switch of any desired type, adapted to be located at a convenient point on the out side of the garage housing or pit either withj 1n the home with which the sunken garage is associated, or within a locked box or cas ing, located in a position in which unauthor- The interior of the rotatable sleeve 13 is" provided with a spiral thread for receiving a spirally threaded vertical shaft or post 16 which is normally extended downwardly through the housing iioor 2 into a protecting sleeve or casing 17 which projects downwardly into the ground below the housing 1. Secured on the upper end of the screw shaft 16 is a head 18, supporting a pair of crossed reinforcing beams 19, upon which a floor or platform 20 isniounted for receiving an automobile or vehicle which is to be lowered into the garage housing or raised therein, as the case may be. ,Rigidly secured on the underside of each corner of the platform 20 is a metal bracket 21, carrying a pair of guide rollers 22 which are adapted to track on vertical corner guide posts 23 rigidly secured in the vertical corners of the housing 1. Rigid: ly mounted upon the upper sides of the longitudinal margins of the platform 20 are a pair of side walls 24. Supported upon the upper ends of the side walls 24 is a wooden roof section 25, rigidly braced in position by means of a plurality of bracebars 26, secured in position beneath the wooden roof section 25 and the side walls 26 I The roof section 25 projects beyond the nor faces of the housing walls to seat in the grooves formed in the upper ends of said walls when the platform 28 isin its lowered position as illustrated in F igure 2. The longitudinal margins of the roof section 25 are provided with a plurality of drain passages 27, the lower ends of which communicate with the drain troughs 8. Rigidlysecured upon the top of the wooden roof section 25 is a metal roof section 28', the middle portion of which is at a higher elevation than the side portions to afford inclined surfaces to facil tate drainage. Formed on the outer margins of the metal roof section 28 are upwardly directed flanges 29. v The metal roof section 28 is provided with a plurality of apertures along the longitudinal margins thereof and said apertures are positioned to register with the drain passages 27in the wooden roof section 25, to permit drainage of liquids which might be deposited upon the metal roof section. The metal roof section 28, together with the flanges 29 thereof, form a tray or pan which is adapted to be filled with soil 30, the upper surface of which is sodded, and normally is disposed in the plane of the sod covering the surface ofthe ground in which the improved'garage is built.

' It will be noted that the improved garage is intended for use in connection with homes having beautiful lawns and gardens surrounding the same, which would be made unsightly by exposed garages which very often detract from the appearance of the home of which the garage forms a part.

the improved sub-garage may be readily used in localities where the ground value is high and where the amount of garden space is eX-' tremely limited. In such cases it will be noted that thesodded roof section of the garage may be used as a garden-plot when the garage is closed. 1

The improved garage is provided with the manhole 5 to permit a person to gain access so into the interior of the housing 1 by climbing down on the ladder 6 or any other convenient device and entering the auxiliary housing, or chamber 3,, which may be used for storing accessories or the like. It will,'of course, be e5 understood that the manhole 5 is provided for emergency uses only, since access may be had to the automobile on the platform 20: by operating the remote control push button orswitch which governs the operation of the driving motor 9. v J

When a person desires to store his car, it is only necessary 7 to operate the control switch causing the motor to rotate the worm 11 and the worm wheel 12, so that the sleeve 13 is, rotated, causing the screw shaft 16 to revolve, thereby causing a smooth,gradual raising of the platform or table 20 until the upper face of the platform reaches the level of the ground. The automobile may then be driven onto the platform 20 through either open end thereof, after which the control switch may be operated to reverse the rotation of the motor 9 to cause the platform, carrying the automobile, to be gradually low- I15 ered into the garage housing 1 until the roof section seats in the pockets or grooves formed in'the upper ends of the garage housing walls, with the s'odded roof section 30 hav- 'ing the upper face thereof at the same level as the garden lawn, so that it ispractically impossible to discern where the garage is? located. I r l The groundrarea wherein the garage is mounted is,therefore, conserved and-may be used for 7 garden purposes orthe like when the garage is closed. Rain or Water deposited upon the garage'roof garden is permitted to drain toward the sides of the metal roof section 28 through the drain passages 27 into the drain troughs 8, from which the water is permitted to be drained off into the ground through the drain pipes 7.

The improved garage is theft-proof and fire-proof and when the garage is closed the roof fits down practically air-tight so that thegarage in winter is also freeze-proof.

In am aware that many'changes may be made, and numerous details of construction pletelymounted within the ground with the upper end of the housing substantially at the level of the ground and having grooves in the upper end thereof, a platform movably mounted within said housing, guide means secured on said platform, mechanism for raising and lowering the platform within said housing, a driving device for operating said mechanism, an inner roof section supported on said platform and normally adapted to seat in the grooves in the upper ends of the housing walls, a flanged metal roof section mounted on said inner roof section and a filling of earth and sod for said metal roof section, adapted to camouflage the location of the garage when the platform is lowered.

2. A garage of the class described, comprising a main housing, an auxiliary housing formed thereon, a manhole for affording access to said auxiliary housing, an automobile supporting platform movably mounted in said main housing, guide means therefor, mechanism for raising and lowering said platform within said main housing, a driving device connected with said mechanism, an inner roof section supported on said platform, an outer roof section mounted on said inner roof section, means in said roof sections for draining the same, and a filling for said outer roof section adapted to close the upper end of the main housing and conceal the location of the garage.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name at Chicago, Cook County,

Illinois.

CARL F. DAVIS. 

